Sieving media from planar arrays of nanoscale grooves, method of making and method of using the same

Abstract

Disclosed herein are an apparatus and a method for separating molecules on the basis of size and or structure, and to a method of making the apparatus. Generally, the separation method includes passing a fluid comprising particles having different effective molecular diameters through a plurality of open, nanoscale channels disposed in surfaces of substrates. The method also includes obtaining a plurality of fractions of the passed fluid such that each of the fractions includes a major portion containing particles having similar size and shape and substantially free of particles having larger size and shape. The apparatus includes first and second substrates each of which has a surface containing a plurality of open, nanoscale channels disposed therein. The surfaces are bonded together such that each of the channels of the first substrate is in fluid communication with at least two of the channels of the second substrate and is misaligned relative to the channels of the second substrate. Interferometric lithography and anodic bonding or flip-chip bonding techniques can be used to make the apparatus.

1. A method comprising:
 (a) passing a fluid comprising different components having different effective molecular diameters from end to end of an apparatus having at least about 1000 to about ten million open, nanoscale channels disposed in surfaces of a first and second substrates, the first and second substrates bonded together such that each of the channels of the first substrate is in fluid communication with at least two of the channels of the second substrate and is misaligned relative to the channels of the second substrate, and each of the channels of the second substrate is in fluid communication with at least two of the channels of the first substrate, and wherein the fluid communication between channels creates a continuous nonlinear pathway in which the fluid passes alternatingly between the channels of the first substrate and the channels of the second substrate; 
 (b) obtaining different fractions of the passed fluid, each of the fractions comprising a major portion comprising components having similar size and shape and substantially free of components having a different size and shape wherein the size and shape of the major portion of components of each of the fractions is different from the size and shape of the major portions of the components of the other fractions. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the channels have equivalent and constant cross-sectional areas within a range of about  1  square nanometers (nm 2 ) to about 10,000 nm 2 . 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the channels have equivalent and variable cross-sectional areas within a range of about 1 nm 2  to about 10,000 nm 2 . 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein each of the channels traverses an entire length of the surface. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the channels of the first substrate are parallel to each other, and the channels of the second substrate are parallel to each other. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the channels of the first substrate are spaced equidistant from each other, and the channels of the second substrate are spaced equidistant from each other. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first and second substrates comprise one or more materials selected from the group consisting of quartz, silica, silicon, porous silicon, polysilicon, and porous polysilicon. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the first and second substrates comprise quartz. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 5 , further comprising third and fourth substrates bonded to edge surfaces of each of the first and second substrates, the edge surfaces being substantially perpendicular to the channels. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the third and fourth substrates comprise one or more materials selected from the group consisting of quartz, silica, silicon, porous silicon, polysilicon, porous polysilicon, and silicon oxynitride. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 10 , wherein the third and fourth substrates comprise silicon oxynitride. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the channels of the first substrate are misaligned relative to the channels of the second substrate by an angle of about 0.05° to about 45° , the angle defined by an intersection of a channel of the first substrate and a channel of the second substrate. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 1 , wherein one or more of the substrates additionally includes electrodes capable of creating an electric field along at least a portion of the nonlinear path traveled by a liquid passing through the continuous nonlinear pathway.